The Jets have the Cincinnati Bengals on the schedule in their 2016 regular season opener. The Bengals might be without one of the key pieces on their offense.
Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert will have ankle surgery Wednesday and could miss at least the season opener at the New York Jets on Sept. 11, sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter on Tuesday.
News of the surgery was first reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer, which said a three-month recovery is anticipated.
Eifert blossomed into one of the truly great red zone threats in the NFL in 2015. He had 13 touchdown receptions on the season. Of those 13 touchdowns, 11 came in the red zone. According to the Pro Football Reference Game Play Finder, Eifert was only targeted 16 times in the red zone. So almost 70% of the time the Bengals threw his way at that spot of the field, the end result was a touchdown.
This certainly would be a loss for Cincinnati if he cannot go.